Is Cadillac Working on a new Pickup Truck?

• Patent documents show GM renewed its hold on the Escalade EXT name

• Cadillac sold a pickup under that name between 2001 and 2013

• The brand might intend to cash in on the electric truck craze

A trademark application made recently by General Motors could hint at a future pickup truck for Cadillac, possibly powered by batteries.

In the document, the automaker renews its hold on the Escalade EXT name, a moniker that was used between 2001 and 2013 on a more luxurious version of the Chevrolet Avalanche that used the same front end as the regular Escalade SUV.

With the current popularity of electric pickup trucks and the proliferation of luxurious trim levels on mainstream half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups, it could make sense for Cadillac to fill that space in the market again.

Making an electric Cadillac pickup would not be very difficult either, since the Ultium platform is already used on the GMC Hummer EV and the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, meaning that the only changes needed would be a more premium outside appearance, which could be lifted from the Escalade SUV, and a plusher interior.

If the Escalade EXT is resurrected as an electric truck, it could even share more than the name with its predecessor, since one of the most distinctive features of the older truck, the removable partition between the bed and the cabin, has been reintroduced on the Chevrolet Silverado EV.

The patent application does not mean that this model is guaranteed to come however since it could also have been renewed only to prevent other automakers from using it on their own vehicles.

In addition, the arrival of even more luxurious trim levels for General Motors’ existing trucks, such as the 2023 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate, means that Cadillac would have to push much more upmarket in order to offer something to justify its inevitably higher price.

Furthermore, luxury branded pickup trucks have often had difficulty piercing the market, perhaps because most people who buy a truck don’t want to have an ostentatious logo to show their wealth like some SUV and sedan buyers.

The brand has not commented on this decision, so it will be interesting to see if the Escalade EXT name will indeed be used on a new pickup in the next couple of years.